


He understands (a cabbage merchant's laments)

by deutschistklasse



Series: Salvage Universe [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Inspired by Fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25410970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deutschistklasse/pseuds/deutschistklasse
Summary: The Cabbage Merchant makes a cameo in MuffinLance's Salvage, and I was inspired. So there is his POV on the encounter with Zuko - aka there is somebody who doesn't like the Avatar! YES!
Series: Salvage Universe [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905865
Comments: 82
Kudos: 1637





	He understands (a cabbage merchant's laments)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MuffinLance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinLance/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Salvage](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21116591) by [MuffinLance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinLance/pseuds/MuffinLance). 



> I don't have any excuses. Have a nice day! :)

Heng was disappointed in the town’s people. He was there with his high quality cabbages, and nobody wanted to buy them. Was buying one so much to ask? They were fresh, their smell was lovely, their color the perfect shade of green, their flavor a joy. And it was hard work, always being on the road and procuring fresh cabbages to sell. He needed some income, he had a family, all right?

Of course, he wasn’t alone in the business. He was lucky, that all ten of his brothers were farmers and lived near every important city in the Earth Kingdom. He got the cabbages for free and split his earnings with them. They knew, that he was better at selling them, he had more charisma. Their business thrived.

His wife too came from a peasant family, and was educating their son in the fine art of how to grow the best cabbages in the whole Earth Kingdom. Like their father and grandfather and great-grandfather did. They had a legacy to respect and follow.

That legacy was trampled to the ground every time the Avatar and his friends appeared in a town. That kid was the bane of his existence. Since the Avatar returned, Heng needed to buy a new cart at least six times, not to speak about his precious cabbages!

But the sad reality was, the people didn’t see the truth.

The Avatar was praised everywhere, when he didn’t even think about the consequences of his actions. There too. The townspeople were even now talking about him. They were saying how he was their last hope, how he could save them from the Fire Nation, how just and wise he was. Bullshit! He was just a kid, a menace, a pain in the –

„THAT'S NOT TRUE! Had any of you met him? He is a twelve year old kid without any sense of danger or direction! Wise and just? Don’t make me laugh! He is a _lying liar_ who lies all the time! He doesn’t know what honor and honesty means! And he’s a coward! A _pacifist_ , who sooner runs than fights! He is more a _menace_ to the world than a savior, why can’t you see it?!”

The raging war child in blue was restrained by his two friends, the taller of them placing himself in front, when the townspeople began to advance angrily, shouting about disrespect and stupidity of youth and other not so nice things.

The kid was snarling at them, puffing up like a spooked fox-cat, while his friends tried to placate the people. Or the child? Heng didn’t care. There was somebody who understood. _There was somebody who understood!_

Heng selected the most beautiful, most well-shaped, most perfect cabbage he could find and approached the trio. He didn’t realize he was grinning from ear to ear while crying, making him look slightly deranged. His enthusiastically repeated _thank you_ ’s weren’t helping in maintaining his professional image. The people basically fled from his way, but Heng didn’t see it. He had eyes just for the beautiful boy who understood.

The boy was frowning at him. Heng grabbed his hand, shaking it heatedly, then pushed the cabbage in his arms, promising him that he would cherish the memory of him dissing the Avatar forever. He even offered them a 15 percent discount on the cabbages for life. Just look for Heng!

The baffled Water Tribe boys dragged their frowning friend away, while Heng waved at them until they disappeared from sight. When he returned to his cart, he was humming. He wasn’t the only one to see the truth. There was hope for the world! He sent a quick prayer to Oma and Shu for the kid.


End file.
